


From The Beginning To The End

by RedEyes (AggressiveStress)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: A Turning, Alpha Derek, Childhood, Claudia's Death, Explicit sex scenes, F/F, F/M, Fate, Flashbacks, Human Stiles, Love, M/M, Romance, Sex, Sort of an AU, Supernatural Creatures, Werewolf and Human Relationship, mate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-30
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-10 13:10:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1160112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AggressiveStress/pseuds/RedEyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>~~~ON HIATUS FOR EDITING~~~<br/>Derek knew from an early age that Stiles would have to be his. It was just something that someone born a werewolf could feel starting in his bones, sinking into his veins, and taking over his heart. Because Stiles Stilinski was beautifully innocent and Derek liked that; his wolf liked it, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

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Derek Hale was sitting on his front porch with his elder sister, Laura, when the big truck turned the corner and then parked a few houses down. Laura ignored it, reading her book like the little genius she was, but Derek couldn't do that. He found himself getting to his feet, dusting his hands off on his jeans and practically jogging off the porch and down to the house the truck stopped at. There were people, all grown-ups, climbing out of the truck and they started pulling furniture out of the back. Derek paused at a tree, hiding behind the thick oak and peering around silently, peering at the little, dented red car that then pulled into the driveway next to the moving truck. A woman got out, her blonde hair cut short with a baseball hat on her head and the man wearing a police outfit; Derek could say they looked to be a little younger than his own parents.

It wasn't the parents that sparked his attention, though, it was something else. He could hear a third heartbeat and it pounded in his head, reverberated in his ears, and his own heart rate picked up because of it. Then the back door to the small red car was pushed open and one sneaker was thrown outside, quickly followed by another one; Derek wasn't ashamed to say he used his werewolf vision to get a closer look as the boy hopped from the backseat. When he hit the pavement, the boy stumbled forward because he was just so small compared to well, everything; Derek giggled a little. The boy looked up and around almost as if he heard Derek, but that wasn't possible because humans can't hear like that; Derek was still at least two houses away from the boy.

Derek stared at the boy, taking in his short, spiky brown hair that smelt like pineapple; Derek smiled- his alpha smell was getting really good. His eyes were the color of chocolate, which just so happened to be Derek's favorite food; Derek liked that. He was small with long chicken arms but short legs; he was really short and his head would probably stop at Derek's shoulders. His shirt hosted a little yellow sponge character that must've been on TV because Derek hadn't ever seen him before in a comic book- TV wasn't encouraged in the Hale house. All in all, the boy was beautiful especially for a human. Derek liked the way the boy squinted in the sunlight like he'd just woken up from a long nap, he liked that the boy looked around like he just entered a foreign land, and he liked the way the boy yawned, rubbing his tiny fists against his eyes.

The man picked up the boy, ruffling his hair and starting to speak; Derek glanced over his shoulder to make sure Laura wasn't watching him before he focused on the boy and his father. Soon, he could hear their voices like they were in his own head. The man was speaking, "Well, this is it, Stiles. What do you think?"

Two curious brown eyes scanned the area, a small frown turning his lips down, "It's quiet," the boys, Stiles, observed in a tiny voice.

"That's because we aren't in the apartment building anymore," the woman cooed, joining her husband and son. "Stiles, this is going to be good, okay? You'll finally have a yard to run around in and your own bedroom, and you can make friends with the neighbors. Plus, you'll be starting kindergarten in a couple of days." At that, Derek frowned because he would be going into the fifth grade this year; Stiles was only five and Derek just turned eleven.

Stiles sighed, "But I don't know anyone here."

"You will," his father encouraged, setting him back on his feet. "Don't worry about that. They'll love you."

Slowly, Stiles started to smile, "You said I'm getting my own room."

"Yes," his mother laughed, "No more sharing a room with us."

Derek was confused. Why would Stiles share a bedroom with his parents? Derek had never heard of a child sharing a room with their parents unless they were a baby maybe. But even that was rare because in Derek's family, a baby had his/her own room so they could learn at an early age about what being independent meant. This boy was weird, but his heart beat was in Derek's head and Derek really just wanted to step out from behind his tree to say hello. Instead, he made a dash for the next tree, getting closer to the boy and his parents, but he stayed hidden. When he glanced back, he found that Laura was so focused on her book that she hadn't noticed Derek's absence but that was typical; she couldn't keep up with a fish let alone a curious Derek.

The father spoke again, making Derek turn around to see, "Why don't you go inside and make some cookies with your mom? We can take them around to the neighbors in a little while."

Stiles wrinkled up his cute little button nose, "I can't cook. That's a girls' job."

His mother lightly hit him upside the head and Derek laughed quietly when Stiles squawked in protest. "Don't ever say that again, young man. Next time, it won't be me hitting you." Stiles giggled and reached out to take his mom's hand, eyes widening cutely; Derek felt like he did whenever his uncle Peter accidentally punched him in the stomach too hard because all the breath rushed out of him at the complete puppy-like expression on Stiles' face.

"I'm sorry, Mommy," he smiled sweetly, looking at her through his lashes.

"Oh, Stiles," his mom laughed and swung him up onto her hip, "You're going to be breaking hearts by your sixth birthday."

"That's in four days, Mama!"

"I know, baby. Let's go make those cookies, yeah?"

"Fine..." Stiles groaned but he was smiling as his mom carried him inside; his dad stayed outside to help move their furniture.

Eventually Laura started calling his name and Derek knew he had to go home; Stiles hadn't come back outside, but Derek had listened to his voice for as long as possible from his hiding place. He didn't realize how weird it was to sit there and listen until Laura started calling his name, sounding a little panicked. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran towards his home because it was getting dark and he really should've gone home hours ago. It was sunset when Derek stepped onto his porch, smiling sheepishly when Laura stood there, hands planted on her hips and both eyebrows raised. Laura was the eldest Hale offspring by about five or six years and she's almost the same age as their uncle Peter, but it made since because of how much older their mother was compared to Peter.

Laura stopped him before he could go inside, "Alright, I'll bite," Derek snorted and she hit his shoulder, "Shut up. That wasn't even supposed to be a pun. Look, where were you?" she asked, crossing her arms again.

"Nowhere," Derek shrugged, smiling innocently.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't pull that look with me, dork. Come on, tell me where you were."

"I don't have to. You aren't Mom."

"But I'm older." When he still didn't say anything, she stared at him long and hard until she started to get it, "Oh jeez, you went after that truck, didn't you? You followed that moving truck down to the new neighbors and you watched them unpack. Derek, that's so  _creepy_!" she exclaimed.

"It is not!" Derek pouted.

"Yes it is. They don't have any idea that you were watching them. Man, Der, and I thought you couldn't get any weirder."

Derek stuck his tongue out at his older sister and then he yanked open their front door and marched inside. Laura stepped inside after gathering her book and the glass of tea she had abandoned while she got sucked into her book. The Hale family was gathered in the living room, spread out and doing their own thing. The youngest played with either dolls or little toy cars, the middle school kids including Derek drowned themselves in drinking games by using soft drinks, the high-schoolers were conversing and doing their own thing at the same time, and the elders that watched everyone else were gathered in a corner of the large living room, chatting and actually drinking some wine. It was Hale night, as they called it, and the entire family gathered for what others would call family time but they called it pack time. Because they're a pack within the family with Talia Hale at the head of it all; said woman was braiding her youngest daughter, Cora's, hair while speaking with her brother's wife.

"Laura!" a cousin yelled across the room, smiling sweetly, "Do you want to play Candy Land with us?" Laura smiled and joined them.

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"So, wait a second," Nathan Hale held up a hand, stopping his slightly younger cousin from speaking anymore. "I'm confused. Why did you hear his heart beat first thing when you got there?"

"That's what I'm saying," Derek rolled his eyes, " _I don't know_. I've been thinking about it ever since last night, but I still can't figure it out."

"Have you asked your mom?"

"No. I can't. She'll probably just tell me that it's wrong for spying and blah blah blah," Derek waved his hand in the air, dropping onto his bed uselessly. Nathan hummed in his throat, glancing at his cousin with a roll of his eyes because Derek can honestly be the most dramatic young werewolf ever sometimes.

"Sit up; you being a drama queen isn't going to help anything."

"Shut up, Nathan. I didn't ask you."

"But you are in my room."

"Well you're technically in my house."

Nathan scowled, "See now that isn't fair."

Derek smirked, "Sorry, sorry. Calm yourself, Nate. I'm just messing with you."

Before Nathan could reply, the doorbell echoed through the house and Derek suddenly froze, all sound cutting off except for one thing: a heartbeat. He could hear the nervous rushed to the beat, making it pick up speed and pound a little harder than usual. He could hear a quiet voice talking to his mom, saying that maybe he should just go home. Then he could hear a mother telling her son that he had nothing to worry about; that a neighbor told her a big family lived here with lots of kids. Derek sat up quickly, his eyes blown wide and his own heart beat mingling with the one pounding in his ears. Nathan looked at him and said something, but Derek couldn't hear him; he couldn't force the heart beat to leave his head and it was frightening especially when he heard the front door open downstairs.

Derek was out the door and hiding at the top of the stairs in seconds, peering down to watch his mom stand in the doorway, speaking to the woman Derek saw the day before. Today she was holding multiple plastic containers with a pretty pink sun hat on her head; Stiles was clutching her skirt and basically hiding behind her leg. For a second, Derek used his wolf sight to scan Stiles, but then he realized what he was doing, remembered what Laura said, and forced himself to stop. He even pinched his arm so he could drown out Stiles' heart beat and instead focus on what they were saying. Even then, he could smell the new scent of something like pineapple and fresh summer berries that definitely didn't come from his home; the smell was truly intoxicating.

"Well, hello," Talia was saying with a big smile on her beautiful face.

Stiles' mother smiled back if more hesitant to do so, "Hi, I'm Claudia Stilinski and this is my son, Stiles. We just moved in a couple of houses down and I thought I would go around and meet some of our new neighbors." Derek cocked his head a little-  _Stiles. Stilinski. Stiles Stilinski_ \- he repeated mentally, scanning said and boy and think that it did fit him well.

Talia opened the door wider, "I'm Talia Hale and I welcome you to the neighborhood. Do you have time for some coffee or tea or maybe some pound cake? I'm sure the children would love to meet your son." Stiles hid more behind his mother and Derek found himself smiling a little.

"I'm sure we have a few minutes," Claudia agreed and stepped inside, forcing Stiles to move with her. "Oh, I hope your family likes peanut butter," she held out one container of cookies and Talia took them. "You have a very lovely home."

"Thank you, although it isn't always like this. Today was clean-up day because a home can get quite messy with twelve children running around."

"Wow. That's a lot," Claudia's eyes were wide when she moved to the kitchen behind Talia and Stiles went with her, not saying a word.

"We like to stay close to each other," Talia explained and Derek started to slowly move downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. "Sugar?"

"Yes please. The Stilinski's like sweet things, isn't that right Stiles?" Claudia urged her son to speak even just a word, but he was too shy and all he did was nod. "He isn't usually this quiet, but he is this shy." Talia laughed sweetly, setting a mug of coffee in front of Claudia and taking a seat across from her, her own coffee mug cradled in her hands. Derek made it to the bottom of the staircase and he hid next to the kitchen doorway, peeking around every other second to take a look at Stiles, who was standing next to his mother's chair, sipping at some juice Talia must've given him.

Talia studied Claudia almost quizzically before she spoke, "I don't know where everyone is. Well, my husband's at work, but the others are usually running around. The youngest are probably rolling around in mud out back again." Both mothers laugh, having had experience in that same department. "Derek," Talia suddenly said, picking up on Derek's heart beat no doubt. "Don't eavesdrop, love, that's quite rude."

Derek had no choice but to turn the corner and Stiles immediately looked up, locking eyes with Derek, and a blush spread across his cheeks before he quickly looked down and away again. "Sorry," Derek said to his mom, moving towards the refrigerator. "I was thirsty and didn't want to... to disturb you."

Of course Talia caught onto his heart skipping a beat when he lied, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, she said, "This is Stiles, sweetie. And this is Derek, my second eldest."

Quickly, Derek's eyes turned to Stiles again and he took in his Hulk graphic t-shirt, his grass-stained jeans, and his dirty sneakers. Derek wanted to go over to him and say hello, and he wanted to take Stiles' hand to take him around the house, showing him everything, and he really wanted to be closer to that intoxicating scent. It was overwhelming every other smell Derek should've picked up on, but he just kept automatically locking onto Stiles. Derek didn't even like pineapples but the smell was just so... different than what Derek was used to. Of course he had smelt pineapple before, but it was so _different_ and he didn't know why; he wanted to know why this was affecting him but his tongue was tied whenever he thought about mentioning it to his mother.

"Hi," Derek said quietly. Stiles stared at him for a second like making sure Derek was talking to him, but then he shyly raised a hand to wave at him. Derek looked to him mother, lost for once in his life.

"Why don't you show Stiles your comic book collection?" Talia offered.

"Comic books?" Stiles spoke, eyes suddenly wide and excited.

Derek smiled, "Yeah. I've got a lot," he laughed, "Do you want to come see?"

Stiles look to his mom, "Can I?" he asked hopefully.

Claudia nodded, "Of course, honey. I'll come get you when it's time to go meet Daddy for lunch."

"Yay!" Stiles cheered and walked over to Derek, who led him out of the kitchen and up two flights of stairs. The last flight led into the attic, which had been officially made Derek's room when his aunt had triplets and they needed a room so Derek offered to give up his. For a month, he slept on the couch with all his stuff in boxes until they cleaned out the attic and made it his bedroom.

"Here," Derek went straight to his book case, gesturing to three full shelves that were purely made up of comic books.

Stiles eagerly pulled one out from his labeled  **"Batman"**  section. He sat crisscross applesauce on the floor, opening the comic book and Derek liked it when Stiles smiled like that. Like he was happy to be there, like he was in pure comic book Heaven; truthfully, Derek just liked the sight of him being truly and utterly  _happy_. It was cute, almost. The way his eyes would dilate, his lips would grow into a smile that had a hint of teeth somewhere, and his pure interest in whatever had his attention. So Derek just watched him read for those few minutes, watched his lips move a little whenever he was reading a speech bubble even though no sound escaped. When Stiles finished the comic book in what had to be record timing, he found Derek watching him and it wasn't weird, but Stiles blushed because he had been so focused on the comic book that he hadn't noticed.

"Sorry," Stiles blushed some more when Derek smiled at him with a small shrug.

"It's okay. I love comic books, too. You're really good at reading," Derek pulled his knees to his chest, leaning back against his bookcase. Stiles grinned proudly, his back straightening; Derek found himself studying Stiles for what had to be the hundredth time.

"My mom's been teaching me for the past couple of years," Stiles explained. "She said that I might be able to skip a grade if I'm really good at reading and math. But I hate math," Stiles groaned, throwing back his head like the thought pained him; Derek laughed under his breath. "Stupid numbers," Stiles said to the ceiling; Derek watched his milky throat for a moment until Stiles looked back down at him. "Are you any good at math?"

Derek snorted, "That's a good one. No, math is like my enemy. I can  _do_ it, but I don't like it."

"How old are you?"

"Eleven," Derek stated proudly.

"Oh," Stiles looked away suddenly, a sad look in his eyes.

Derek frowned. He didn't like that look. "What's wrong, Stiles?"

"It's just that I'm only five and big kids like you don't want to be friends with little kids like me."

"You aren't a little kid. You're just younger than me. We can still be friends!"

"Really?" the look that flashed in Stiles' eyes made Derek ten times happier.

"Yeah! You'll get out of school before me, but you can come over when I get home or I can come over to your house. We can read comic books here."

"And we can play on my GameCube if you want."

"You have video games?"

Stiles widens his eyes in disbelief, "You  _don't_?"

"Mom doesn't like the TV. She says that we need to stay off of it and instead do things like read and play outside. But she won't know if I play at your house," Derek grinned and Stiles smiled back just as brightly.

They read comic book together for a while, laying on their stomachs on Derek's bed; Stiles even kicked off his shoes and took off his jacket to make himself at home. Sometimes Stiles would have to ask Derek how to say a word, and he'd be embarrassed about it until Derek would say " _Wow, that's a hard one_ " and he'd feel better because it wasn't just him. Of course Derek really knew every word without even thinking about it, but he didn't want Stiles to feel bad just because he didn't know what a couple of words meant or how they sounded. So he'd explain and then they'd go back to their comic books, side by side with their feet bumping every now and again. Stiles would giggle every time their feet bumped together, explaining that he was extremely ticklish to Derek, who stored the information in his mind for future use.

Then Claudia came upstairs with Talia and told Stiles that they had to leave. Stiles wanted to stay and help Derek clean up their comic books but Derek waved him off, smiling and promising that Stiles could help him clean up some other time. So Stiles left and Talia lingered in her only sons' doorway, leaning against the doorframe and studying the way he couldn't stop smiling. She could hear his heartbeat, still beating faster than normal even though Stiles had left. She heard it speed up the moment Stiles and Claudia stepped on their front porch; Talia knew what was going on. Of course she knew, and somewhere deep down Derek knew what it was too. So she didn't say anything. Instead, she told Derek lunch would be done soon and then she left to find out where the rest of the Hale kids had disappeared to.


	2. Chapter 2

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Stiles was on his bed, ready to do the page of math homework they were assigned on the  _first day of school_ when a knock on his window made him jump. His heartbeat had sped up and Derek smiled at him, waving cheerily. Stiles stared at him incredulously for a second because his bedroom is on the second floor and there was no way Derek was on his roof right now, knocking on his window like it was the front door. Either way, Stiles ended up scrambling off his bed and running to throw open his window, letting Derek fall inside; just as always, Derek managed to shift his weight at the last second so he landed on his feet. As soon as he was steadied, he pulled Stiles into a tight hug; Stiles squeaked a little, startled at the sudden contact but then he calmed himself enough to wrap his arms back around Derek.

"Hello to you too," Stiles laughed quietly like if he spoke any louder then Derek would pull away. He didn't, instead talking with his arms remained around Stiles, finally breathing in that intoxicating smell up close.

"I came to say happy birthday. I know it must suck that you had to spend it at school."

"It got better," Stiles couldn't help but smile against Derek's shoulder. He could've sworn he felt Derek's arms tighten, but he brushed the thought away. "Why didn't you come through the front door?" Stiles asked after a few seconds of just enjoying the presence of each other.

Over the last four days of summer, Derek and Stiles spent almost every moment together. Derek usually came to his house and they'd eat cookies Claudia had made the night before and Derek would thank her every time, flashing a charming little smile. They would play video games that Derek picked up quickly with Stiles' guidance. They even had a couple of sleepovers where they'd stay up basically all night with flashlights, reading comic books or just quietly talking. They were inseparable. When Stiles did go over to Derek's for a change, Talia would constantly check up on them; Derek noticed her studying them, but he didn't say anything to give her away. Stiles being scared off because of his family was something he definitely didn't want. Stiles dared to say that he made a best friend, and he really liked Derek.

Derek eventually pulled away first, throwing himself onto Stiles' bed like it was his own. "I thought that would be too lame," Derek grinned at Stiles, who struggled to get on the bed that was pretty far off the ground for a six-year-old.

Stiles laughed because of course Derek wouldn't do the sensible thing that he figured was just 'too lame'. "Either that or you weren't supposed to leave your house and you had to sneak in so my mom wouldn't talk to yours."

"Don't get smart on me Stiles," Derek warned, but he was smiling.

"Ah, Derek Hale, you sneaky boy!" Stiles waggled a finger in his face, giggling.

"Fine then. I guess I'll just leave... and take your present with me."

"No!" Stiles grabbed his arm, keeping him from leaving.

Derek feigned a shocked gasp, "Are you making me stay just so you can get your present?! How dare you, Stiles Stilinski?!"

"Be quiet you dork, and gimme my present."

Laughing, Derek shuffled around in the inside pockets of his jacket; he eventually found a small box. He pressed it into Stiles' palm, but caught his friends' wrist before he opened the present. "If you don't like it, remember that I can take it back and get something else, okay?" Derek had been really worried about his present because he didn't know if Stiles would mind wearing something that wasn't exactly the manliest thing.

But Stiles looked at him like he was absolutely mental, "Are you kidding? Derek, it's from  _you_. I know I'm going to love it."

Derek felt his cheeks heat up a little and he quickly looked away while Stiles sat the box in front of him on the bed. He made a show of pulling the parts of the ribbon apart, untying it and pulling the string away; he tied it around his forehead. Derek muffled his laughter by biting his bottom lip. Stiles continued with the present, picking it up and rattling it around, but of course he heard nothing that would give the gift away. Slowly, he pulled off the top and then he settled the top on the top of his head like it was a hat; Derek slapped a hand to his forehead, running his hand down his face like he was exasperated but he was grinning so fondly that Stiles felt his heart skip a beat. He removed the paper covering in the box and his eyes widened significantly at the present.

The cord was tough black leather that was long enough to fall over Stiles' head and it would hide the _**[pendant](http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/6/7/AAAAAgkW9OcAAAAAAAZ6Pg.jpg?v=1157643942000)**_ beneath his shirt, but the pendant was beautiful. It was obviously a wolf and it was howling at the moon, its eyes closed and his head pointed upwards. Stiles ran his thumb over the pendant, finding that it was definitely real silver that would no doubt be expensive. Derek watched Stiles' eyes widen, could hear his heart skip a beat, and he could feel Stiles' blush when he slowly took the necklace from the box, holding it up so he could study it in the light. The pure silver had been polish so it glinted in the dim light of Stiles' bedside table lamp; the detail was extensive and Derek knew that it was handmade by his great grandfather, but Stiles didn't need to know that much.

"Derek... it's... it's amazing," Stiles breathed dropping the necklace over his head. The pendant fell over his shirt, settling like it belonged and Derek thought that it definitely fit Stiles perfectly. "But it must've cost you a fortune..."

"No," Derek rushed in before Stiles could reach to take it off. "No, I want you to have it Stiles. Okay? Besides, you make it work."

Stiles clutched the pendant and smiled, "I love it. Definitely better than the Nintendo my parents got me."

"C-can you do something for me?"

"Sure, Derek, anything."

"I want you to wear the necklace at all times, okay? And only take it off if you don't think of me as your friend anymore, okay? Only take it off if you want me gone and I'll stay away."

Stiles furrowed his eyebrows because why would anyone ever want to get rid of Derek Hale? The boy was honestly perfect and Stiles loved him to  _death_ , which was exactly why he promised Derek. He reached out, took both of Derek's hands, and he promised that he would never take it off because he would never want Derek to leave him. And then they settled on Stiles' bed and talked and cuddled until it was five in the morning and Stiles was fast asleep, his head on Derek's chest. Derek slid carefully out from under him, putting a pillow in his place. Before he could change his mind, he leaned down and kissed Stiles' forehead. Then he pushed open Stiles' window and ran back home; Stiles woke up two hours later and frowned when he found Derek gone. But then he reached for his necklace and he smiled because it hadn't been a dream.

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It didn't take long for Stiles to fall into a routine at school. He would go through the motions by doing his work, hide under the slide during recess, sit with his teachers at lunch, and then he'd run to his mom's car when she finally came to pick him up. Something changed during the fifth week of school. Stiles had been hiding under the slide like always, waiting until recess was over so he could finish his school day and go home to Derek. He was twisting his necklace around his fingers when someone suddenly dove under the slide, throwing Stiles to the ground with him. Stiles yelped, his back crashing into the woodchips of the playground; the boy that had knocked into him quickly scrambled off of him.

"Oh, sorry! Are you okay?! Should I get help?! I was just running from Danny and-" the other kid worried, patting Stiles' face with his hands like that would help.

Stiles swatted the boys' hands away, "I'm fine," he said quietly.

Instead of leaving, the boy sat down across from Stiles, "I like your necklace." Stiles immediately reached for his necklace, tucking it under his shirt because his parents didn't even know about the gift. Besides, it was nice having something that only he and Derek knew about; it was like a secret that the two wouldn't ever share with anyone else.

"Thanks..."

"I'm Scott. Scott McCall!" the boy enthusiastically stuck out a hand; Stiles clasped it in his own, a smile starting to turn up his mouth.

He seemed nice enough with big brown doe eyes and naturally tanned skin. And his smile was very warming and sweet; he couldn't have been older than Stiles. Not to mention his enthusiasm that Stiles absolutely adored. Derek had stamina but he only ever had enthusiasm when they were playing a video game or Derek was trying to teach Stiles to climb a tree. (Stiles had ended up falling four times, Derek catching him every time, but Stiles still managed to go home with a couple of bruises starting to form on his small body. Claudia hadn't been surprised when Derek stood up for Stiles, demanding that it was all his fault even though Claudia knew it was definitely not all Derek's fault. Stiles had a tendency to try things he knows he shouldn't.) Stiles snapped himself out of his thoughts, forcing his easily-distracted brain to go back to the present time where he and Scott were still shaking hands and Scott was waiting for a name.

"Stiles. Stiles Stilinski."

"That's a long name," Scott giggled, plopping down next to Stiles and leaning back against the slide with him. He could see why Stiles liked this spot; the sun shone through the abandoned slide and left a golden hue under it. The slide was farther away from the other playground equipment so it was rarely ever used.

"Dad says I'm named after my grandfather," Stiles wrinkles up his nose, "I can't remember his name, though."

"But doesn't that mean you can't remember your own name?"

They both stop and look at each other because Stiles was just now realizing that he forgot his own name. He laughed, though, and Scott hesitantly laughed along with him. "I'll ask Mommy when I get home," Stiles declared. Scott nodded and shifted so he could peek around the side of the slide; he was smiling when he shuffled behind the slide again and looked back at Stiles.

"Looks like Danny found Jackson, so we're starting another game! Do you wanna come play tag with me and my friends?" Scott invited, already standing and dusting off his jeans. His smile was brilliant and Stiles found himself scrambling onto his feet, too.

All he had known was Derek for the past two months and Derek was great, amazing even. They had so much fun together playing video games, playing regular games, swimming in Derek's pool, and Derek even started helping Stiles learn the guitar. But Claudia was starting to worry for her son and Stiles knew it. He thought that maybe if he made more friends then his mom would stop worrying so much. Stiles wondered if Derek would mind, but he brushed the thought away. Of course Derek would want him to make more friends- friends that are his own age, too. So he squeezed his necklace once more before he gave Scott a bright smile that made Scott immediately smile back at him.

"Sure."

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It didn't take long for Scott and Stiles to start hanging out more and more. Sometimes Stiles didn't even plan anything with the boy but Scott would show up at his house and Stiles would happily let him inside so they could play some video games or do homework together. Derek had been absent for a while; Stiles knew that the boy had gone out of town to see his grandparents or something like that. Scott was cool to hang out with though and Scott listened to Stiles' rambles with a smile on his face and even Derek couldn't do that. Claudia was glad Stiles had made other friends but she wondered where Derek was; last time she had checked, the two boys were completely smitten.

She didn't comment on it. She watched Derek and his family arrive back home, watched Derek tilt his head back, and watched when he lowered his head because he couldn't find Stiles. Claudia went back inside to tell Stiles that Derek was home, but Stiles simply glanced at her before he returned to his game; even Scott told him that he could go say hi if he wanted but Stiles waved it off. So Claudia watched from the sidelines as Stiles rarely ever hung out with Derek even though he constantly sat on their front porch like he really was waiting for Derek to come over. And the two still hung out; Stiles would go over and they'd be the same as they'd always been, but the next day Scott would come over and Claudia was worried that Stiles was trying to pick between the two.

One day, Claudia finally stepped up and stopped Stiles when he started to call Scott, "I think we need to chat," she murmured.

Stiles frowned, "About that what, Mommy?" he asked and his whiskey-colored eyes were just so wide and innocent; Claudia hung up the phone and steered Stiles towards the living room couch.

"What are you doing, baby? Why do you keep doing this?"

"Doing what? Mama, what are you talking about?"

"Stiles Stilinski, you're trying to pick between Scott and Derek aren't you?" she demanded and Stiles instantly cowered into the couch. He nodded slowly, turning his face away even though Claudia was speaking again, "Honey, you don't have to do that. Why would you try to do that?"

Stiles swallowed harshly and looked down at his hands, "Derek makes me feel weird."

Claudia's eyebrows flew up because that answer was definitely not what she was expecting him to say. "What do you mean by weird, baby?"

"I don't know..." Stiles huffed out a breath and threw his head back to concentrate on the ceiling. "Whenever we hang out, my stomach feels funny. And, like, it isn't a  _bad_ funny. And my head gets all dizzy and I want to hold his hand and touch his hair- he has really nice hair, you know- and he's really pretty, too." Stiles breathed out slowly like he was trying to get his bearings again. "And then Scott's just really cool to hang out with and he's really nice, too. Mama, I just don't know what's wrong with me. Why do I feel like that when I'm around Derek?"

And honestly Claudia didn't know, but she told Stiles that it was perfectly normal and that he didn't have to choose between Derek and Scott. Stiles left for Derek's house soon after, his hand wrapped around his necklace, and a light skip to his step. Later that day, Claudia called Talia and asked her over for tea. Of course, Talia could tell it wasn't just tea Claudia wanted, but she agreed and the two women settled out on the Stilinski porch. The neighborhood was relatively quiet except for the laughing screams that no doubt came from the Hale house; Stiles was happy over there and that made Claudia smile because it was nice to know Stiles would always have a place to go that would make him happy.

"You seem stressed," Talia examined Claudia with the eyes of an Alpha.

Claudia nodded slowly, "Do- Do you ever think that there's more than just friendship between Stiles and Derek?" she waits for the elder woman's reaction and looks over, shocked when Talia's hand lightly lands on her knee.

"You're worried about your son, is that it?"

"I don't want his heart to be broken. Not at such an early age and I'm worried it'll happen if Stiles continues whatever this is with Derek."

Talia drops her hands and cradles her mug in her hands, looking off to the house across the street as she speaks. "Claudia, have you ever believed in mates?"

"Mates?" Claudia looks at Talia, confused. "Like... like animals?"

"Sort of. What do you think about the subject? Or what do you know?"

"That some animals can only mate once in their lifetime. That once they've chosen a mate, they can't choose another one... Talia, forgive me, but what does this have to do with my son?"

Talia was already standing when she looked at Claudia, her eyes darker. "It's completely normal for your son to feel oddly about Derek. In fact, I would be more worried if he didn't feel more than friendship. Don't worry, Claudia, your son is perfectly alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, my family is waiting for their dinner and I haven't even started." Even so, she reached out and comfortingly squeezed Claudia's shoulder before she turned and left in a flurry of dark hair and even darker eyes.

Claudia didn't go inside until Stiles came skipping home, eyes wide and happy when he looked at his mother. "Mommy, can we make cookies? Cora's birthday is coming up and I want to do something for her."

"Who's Cora, darling?"

"Derek's little sister," Stiles chirped and then ran inside, his hand reaching for his necklace. Claudia slumped in her seat for a few moments; then she stood and followed her son inside.

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Derek had to go to boarding school. Stiles didn't know why and Derek refused to tell him, said that Stiles just needed to accept it. Stiles was on his spring break when he came home to find Derek sitting in his bedroom. They didn't say anything but Stiles dropped his bag and threw himself at Derek, tears building in his eyes and his lip starting to tremble. Derek caught him with ease, laying down on Stiles' bed and stroking Stiles' hair while the much younger boy cried into his chest. Derek had to force himself to stay strong because a year ago he had been excited for this. He had practically bounced off the walls for days when Talia told him that he had been accepted into the academy, but then Stiles showed up and now Derek was questioning himself.

A couple hours later, Stiles was still cuddled into Derek's side and his tears had halted but he refused to let go of Derek's t-shirt. "I'll come back, you know," Derek said quietly. Stiles' grip tightened and he stayed silent. "You can call me whenever you want and I promise that I will do everything I can to stay in touch with you."

"You don't understand," Stiles whimpered, burying his face further into Derek's chest. He breathed in, putting to memory the pine-chocolaty scent that is his best friend. "You're my first best friend, Derek, and I... I don't know what I'm going to do."

Even though it pained Derek, he said, "You always have Scott."

"Scott isn't  _you._ "

Derek had long ago realized that Stiles would end up being the mate that the universe put him with. It was inevitable. Talia had sat him down at the table a few nights after he first met Stiles and she talked to him about the chance of getting a mate even at such a young age. She told him about the signs of a mate, and Derek listened to each one, his heart beating faster because he knew who had a scent that never left his head, he knew voice that he craved to hear, he knew a heartbeat that he listened to all day in the back of his mind, and that was what scared him the most. He was scared that he would leave and come back to Stiles just to find him happy with some girl his own age. Derek was scared that Stiles would take off his necklace while Derek was gone, giving up on Derek ever returning.

"I'm gonna miss you Stiles."

Stiles smiled just a little because Derek really wasn't one to show any feelings. "I, um, well, Derek, I lo- will miss you too."

For a second, Derek didn't saying anything and Stiles held his breath, hoping Derek wouldn't comment on his stupid mistake. He didn't. Instead, he said, "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Hold your breath. It slows down your heart and I don't like it."

It was an odd comment but Stiles didn't mind. He pushed himself as close to Derek, looking for the warmth that Derek always seemed to give off. Derek couldn't do much more to calm his nerves, to reassure him that Derek would come back as soon as possible, so he did what he could in that moment. He held Stiles and fell asleep with him for the last time for a while. And he knew that his touch would draw Stiles' emotional pain away even if it was just for the night. He could stroke Stiles' hair and murmur nonsense under his breath, but he couldn't do anything about how Stiles' heart was aching in his chest. He could feel it and it hurt him, too. He didn't like hurting Stiles but there was no way to help him this time because there wasn't a chance Talia would let Derek let the chance of going to the academy slip from his fingers just like that. That one night would have to do for the two young boys.

When Stiles woke up the next morning, Derek was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

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**_✷✷✷✷    2 Years Later    ✷✷✷✷_**

Claudia was on the edge of death, Stiles knew. The 8-year-old sat next to his mother's hospital bad, clutching her unresponsive hand in both of his, clinging to that last ounce of life left in his mother. He knew his dad wouldn't make it in time. Ever since he became the sheriff, he was never home, and he never really noticed Claudia getting sick until it was too late. Talia was the one that broke the news- Claudia had lung cancer and it broke Stiles' father on the inside because that's exactly what he had been afraid of. Claudia's family had a run of lung cancer in their family, but it usually skipped a generation; Stiles tightened his grip on his mother's hand, but she wasn't waking up. She had been up a few hours earlier, singing to Stiles in a scratchy voice even though Stiles insisted she shouldn't strain herself for him.

So Stiles sat in that hospital room, alone. His grandparents were back in Arizona and they were on their way, but they wouldn't make it in time either. No one had expected the sudden sickness of Claudia; she seemed perfectly fine the day before, but Stiles woke up to her laying on their living room floor, unresponsive to his cries and pleas for her to wake up. It was also Talia that found the weeping boy like she could hear him, and he could only watch as she picked up their phone to call the hospital. Stiles clung to his mother in the ambulance, tears streaming down his cheeks and refusing to speak to his father when Talia offered to let him call. Talia stayed with Stiles until they arrived at the hospital and only family was allowed in Claudia's room; Stiles knew she was still sitting in the waiting room, though, and he was slightly comforted because at least someone was here with him.

His free hand gripped his necklace, the one he hadn't taken off no matter what. Not when the leather started to fray and rip, strings sticking out from the sides; he simply changed the leather to a chain and then he tied the leather to the headboard of his bed- he liked to think of it as a type of dream catcher. Tears pricked at his eyes for the thousandth time that night and he allowed himself to cry. He put his head on the edge of his mother's bed and he sobbed because he shouldn't have to go through all of this; he's only 8. He cried for his mother, he cried for the loss of Derek, he cried for the loneliness of his father, he cried for the future, and he cried until a hand started to gently ruffle his hair so he looked up. Claudia was watching her son, sadness in her eyes; Stiles climbed onto her bed and she pulled him into her lap, humming next to his ear.

"Oh, my sweet baby," Claudia almost sighed but her lungs denied it and she ended up lightly coughing instead. "My poor, sweet Stiles. You shouldn't have to see your mom like this. Not as your last memory."

Stiles swiped his hands across his cheeks like he could erase the trail of tears like that, "It's okay, Mommy. I'm fine. I promise. I'll just remember that time we had a cookie fight."

Claudia laughed a little, ignoring the burn of her lungs. "No you aren't okay, baby. Come 'ere." Stiles wrapped his arms around her neck, pressing his face into the side of her neck and his little sniffled broke her heart one piece at a time. "Stiles, you're going to be alright. Okay, baby? You're going to grow up to be a perfect young man and you're going to be so,  _so_ beautiful. You're going to fall in love and you're going to go on to do such great things. I know it. You're going to make your father and I so proud just like you've done for the past nine years. Baby, everything is going to be alright." She stroked his hair and she could feel her hospital gown starting to dampen on the shoulder because Stiles was crying again, unable to stop now.

"Ma-Mama, please don't leave. We need you. Mama, we _need_ you. You have to be here to give me advice and to teach me how to cook and to- to do homework when Daddy's at work and you need to help me make new friends. Mama, you can't leave. I know you hurt, but there has to be something we can do. They can't take you yet. You can't be taken from here. I won't let them take you, Mama!"

Claudia shushed him breathily, her lungs failing her, "You don't need me, baby. You're going to be so  _strong_ _,_ I  _know_ it. You're going to grow up and you're going to be so smart and funny and  _perfect_. And, one day, someone who is just as perfect is going to come around and you're going to steal his or her heart."

"B-but-"

"I love you so much, you know that? I love you and your father more than anything in the world. My two boys."

"I love you, too, Mama," Stiles choked, and he could only watch.

He could only watch as Claudia's grip loosened on him. Watch as she fell back into her pillows, coughing and spluttering with blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth. Could only watch when doctors rushed in, when a nurse snatched him up and practically threw him into a chair. He heard the loud, quick-paced beat the heart monitor was spitting out and then there was the deadline. That annoyingly long beep that echoed in his head, that made his ears ring, and then he was screaming. He was screaming his little lungs out and a nurse tried to calm him, tried to pull him from the room but Stiles refused to move. He didn't stop until Talia ran into the room and snatched Stiles up, turning so he couldn't see the doctors pull a sheet over his mother's body because that couldn't be his last glimpse. He had already seen too much.

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Stiles didn't think it was right. He didn't think that the sky should be this blue and that the sun should be this bright and this warm because it didn't feel right. It didn't make sense. It should not be a pretty day because Stiles was dressed in all black and there were tear tracks on his cheeks that shouldn't be sparkling because of the sun. There was a hand on his shoulder, the hand of his father, but the touch was distant and the sheriff was too heartbroken to even look at Stiles, who did look a lot like his mother. That sent a pang into Stiles' heart.  _His mother_. The reason why they were all here. The reason they had to stand in the perfect green grass and listen to an old man read something from a bible; the reason why Stiles' family members were gathered here in Beacon Hills for the past two weeks.

"Claudia Stilinski was a loving mother, a caring wife, a beloved daughter, and she was perfect," Stiles' grandfather was at the podium now. He looked tense, his shoulders squared and his lips pressed together whenever he paused in his speech. Stiles thought he looked too formal about all of this; his daughter was laying in a grave and he was trying to look professional- nothing was right about today, not even his family members.

It had been an open-coffin thing and Stiles had seen. His father warned him not to go into the room, but Stiles had snuck in anyway and he had climbed onto the closest table so he could peer in the coffin. He had seen the cherry red lips of his mother, the short blonde hair, the red summer dress that she had always loved, and Stiles couldn't breathe. His heart was drumming in his ears, he couldn't suck in air, he felt like he was suffocating, and then he blacked out. He had his first panic attack on that table, and he had to be taken to the hospital. Stiles was diagnosed with ADHD that night with a side order of panic attacks; Stiles couldn't help but think it was ironic that he was diagnosed in the same room as his mother when she got the news that she had lung cancer for the past six years and never realized it.

"She will always be with us," Stiles' uncle was saying, clutching the podium as if he could fall any second. "She will be watching over her son, Stiles, and her husband, John."

With every word, Stiles flinched. His father peered down at him, frowning, "Stiles, if you want to wait in the car..."

"No," Stiles said as strongly as he could. Nodding, the sheriff looked away again.

Everything just sort of blended together around him, the trees blending into the grass and the people dressed in black dissolving into blurs. He was aware of his father moving away from his side to speak to some family members, he was aware of the people lowering the coffin into the ground, covering it with dirt, and that was the end. No matter how hard he squeezed his necklace, he couldn't find comfort. He felt himself moving his feet, and he felt his butt hitting the ground as he sat in front of his mother's gravestone, blankly staring at the gray marble with the words **"Loving Mother. Caring Wife. Beloved Daughter. Here lies Claudia F. Stilinski."** and Stiles felt sick to his stomach. Those were the exact words his grandfather had used for his speech. He felt numb. Not in shock, not in sorrow. He was just... numb.

"Stiles," a very familiar voice murmured and a familiar touch hit his shoulder; the touch sent shudders all down his spine. Still, he didn't turn his gaze away from his mother's gravestone even though Derek was slowly sitting down next to him, the 14-year-old hesitant in doing so. Briefly, Stiles glanced over at Derek and that made him break. His walls crashed to the ground and he threw himself into Derek's arms, the last place he felt safe now but he knew it wouldn't last. He knew Derek would have to leave again soon, but this was what he needed- something familiar and warm and just  _safe_. "Oh, Stiles," Derek said into his hair, holding him tightly and letting the younger boys' tears soak his shirt through.

Talia watched from afar when Peter stepped up next to her, watching Derek and Stiles as well. "He's on dangerous ground right now," Peter commented.

"He's happy with him," Talia insisted, glaring a little at her younger brother.

Peter shrugged, "The boy's still human, Talia. It's dangerous for an Alpha to get attached to a human. I just don't want to see Derek getting his heart broken because his human was killed by an enemy."

"This is a _funeral_ , Peter. Leave if you can't feel even the slightest bit bad for the poor child."

So Peter turned and left just like that.

"You're here," Stiles pulled away from Derek slowly, furiously wiping at his eyes to try and stop the tears.

Derek's smile was small and forced, Stiles could tell. "Not for long. But Mom thought you might need me... Stiles, I'm so sorry. About your mom, I mean." Stiles flinched, scrambling off the ground and away from his mother's grave; Derek quickly followed him.

"Look, you shouldn't be here," Stiles muttered, his hand dropping from where it still held Derek's necklace.

"What do you mean? Stiles, I'm here for you..."

"I know. I just- Now I'm going to have to say goodbye to two people and it just... Derek, it  _hurts_ _._ So much." Derek winced. He knew it had been a bad idea.

"Stiles, I'm sorry. I wanted to see you and I didn't think about that. I'm sorry."

"Stop. Just  _stop saying that_. Everyone says that and I can't take it anymore because they have nothing to be sorry about and- and I just... Derek, I just want my mom." And Derek could feel Stiles' pain- it was the worst he'd felt in a long time. Stiles went to Derek again, though, and he let Derek wrap his arms around him, even pushed his face into the older boys' neck as he cried for what had to be the millionth time because he hurt. There was so much pain happening in his body at once. It was overwhelming and Derek held him, glared when someone else tried to take Stiles away, claiming they could handle him better; they soon backed away when they realized Derek wasn't letting go anytime soon.

"We're all going to miss her, Stiles."

Stiles' grip tightened, "I don't know what I'm going to do anymore."

"You're only eight, you don't need to know what you're going to do. First, you need to grieve and you need to accept this."

"What- What if I can't? She was my  _mom_ _,_ and she was the only other person that understood me."

"Your dad is still going to understand you-"

"No, not my dad. You."

Derek felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes briefly closing. He told his mom it would be a bad idea for him to come back just to see Stiles for a few short weeks until he had to go back to the academy, saying goodbye to Stiles again. But she insisted that Stiles would need him. The younger boy was breaking from the inside and he needed something that could anchor him through all of this, but even Derek might not be able to do that. Stiles was already broken; he had watched his mother's life leave her eyes and he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't even leave. It was like he was stuck there until Talia rushed in and shushed him, held him while he was torn to pieces, and Talia smelled like Derek and that's what Stiles focused on. He focused on his best friend and woke up in his bed later on.

The ceremony ended and the sheriff eventually had to take Stiles away from Derek. Stiles had long ago finished crying, but Derek holding him was something he wanted to do all the time so he insisted on staying there. His father was his father of course but Derek was different; his heartbeat was comforting, his smell the most familiar thing about him, and his eyes pulled Stiles out of reality for a while just so he can drown in them. Talia watched the sheriff literally pull Stiles away from Derek, picking him up and ignoring the young boys' yells; Derek watched Stiles go, sadness in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to reach out and pull Stiles back, but he knew he couldn't; he could only stay and watch. Stiles was put in the backseat of the old, dented red car and Derek didn't come over to his mother until the car had completely disappeared around the corner. She placed a hand on her sons' shoulder comfortingly and led him back to their car.

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"Is Derek here?" Stiles shyly ducked his head, knowing his eyes were still swollen and his cheeks pink from crying.

Laura smiled down at him sweetly, opening the door a little more, "He's up in his room. I presume you know the way?"

Stiles nodded, sliding inside, "Thanks Laura."

"Anytime babe," she smiled.

He gave her the best smile he could muster and then scurried up the stairs to the attic door; he didn't bother knocking. He'd been through that same room enough that it could be considered his second home; not like Derek ever minded, of course. Derek was waiting for him when Stiles burst into the room, hair thrown in different directions but a tiny smiling curling up the side of his mouth when he saw Derek sitting on his bed, comic book open. The room was the same as it had been two years before.

"Um, c-can I join you?"

Derek shuffled over on his bed, "Of course."

He laughed a little when Stiles struggled to pull himself onto the bed, his feet hanging off for a second until he pulled them up. While doing so, he managed to fall forward, landing in Derek's lap. Scrambling to right himself, Stiles managed to bump his head against Derek's nose; the older boy cried out, gripping his nose and squeezing his eyes shut in the small amount of pain.

"Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! Derek, are you okay?"

But of course Derek had healed in a matter of seconds. His nose didn't even have time to bleed before it was healed and the same as before. "Yeah, Stiles, I'm fine." He laughed to make Stiles feel better and Stiles smiled a little more.

"I'm really clumsy still, as you can see."

Derek shrugged, "I've gotten used to it." Stiles giggled, eyes scanning Derek's bedroom slowly.

"Nothing's really changed, huh? Well, except your fashion sense. That's gotten a lot better."

Derek shoved his shoulder a little, "Don't be mean."

"I'm not mean. Just honest."

"Like that time you told Laura her hair looked like a unicorn threw up in it?"

"It had purple, green, and blue in it. And I was 6. Everything looked like a unicorn threw up on it." Stiles deflected; Derek smiled at him maybe a little too much on the fond side. Stiles didn't seem to notice, biting his lip and hesitantly twisting his shirt in his hands.

"You're nervous," Derek stated, hearing the slight stutter to Stiles' heart.

Stiles shrugged, not looking at him. "I'm not nervous," he lied. Derek didn't need to hear the skip of a heartbeat to know he had lied.

"How are you feeling?"

"Don't. I don't want to talk about that."

"You've been blocking it out, haven't you?"

Stiles glared at the bed sheets, his other hand in a tight fist in his lap. He lets out a breath, "I just came to say goodbye. I know you're leaving tomorrow."

"Stiles-"

"No, Derek. I know I'm young and small and useless right now, but I still don't have to spill everything to you. Okay? I can take care of myself. Have fun at the academy," Stiles hops off the bed, wishing he didn't stumble but it was inevitable. Derek went after him, grabbing his arm, spinning him around, and pushing his back into the wall as gently as he could manage which wasn't that gentle if Stiles' gasp was anything to go by. Derek found his eyes going to Stiles' lips but that was wrong, he knew. Stiles was only nine. Derek couldn't do that to him but it was so tempting.

He kissed him.

Stiles' eyes widened but Derek squeezed his own shut, pressing his mouth to Stiles' insistently. There wasn't anything Stiles could do. He'd seen his mom and dad kiss many times before but he always thought that they did it because they were married. It was a weird sensation. His lips were tingly, his teeth accidentally knocking into the elder boys' at first until Derek loosened up, but Derek didn't pull away. Derek hadn't kissed anyone on the lips before; his mother had told him kissing and anything else should be saved for someone special. Well Stiles was special, was the one person he trusted with his life outside of his pack, and he just really wanted to kiss him in that moment. When Stiles didn't protest, Derek tried moving his mouth a little against Stiles'. Stiles let out a squeak of surprise and Derek quickly started to back away, dropping Stiles' wrists.

"Wha-" Stiles choked, pressing three fingers to his mouth, staring at Derek.

"I'm sorry," Derek quickly backed away, running his fingers through his hair tensely. "Stiles, I just... you were just there and I wanted to show you that I care but you wouldn't stop walking if I just called your name. So I-" but when he turned around, Stiles was had disappeared. Derek wondered if this was how Stiles felt when he woke up and found that Derek was long gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry if it's bad! I was in a rush (my computer crashed and it's really hard to type on my phone) and I honestly had no idea what to do for this chapter. :/
> 
> Anyway! I hope it isn't too bad.
> 
> xox- M.

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_****✷✷✷✷    8 Years Later    ✷✷✷✷****_

Scott stared at his best friend in disbelief, "We're going to  _what?_ "

Stiles scoffed, swinging his bat around as if he was trying to emphasis his point. Scott ducked when Stiles nearly managed to take his head off with the thing. It was like Stiles was trying to act as if he didn't just randomly pop up at Scott's house-scaring the shit out of him, might he add-, proclaiming they needed to go find the other half of a dead body. _Psh,_ of _course_ not. "We are going to go find the other half of that body."

"Alone?" the shocked look on Scott's face made Stiles concerned.

After many, many years of them being best friends, Scott should know that Stiles tends to come up with ideas like this a lot. He should also already know that Stiles almost never goes to his dad with said crazy ideas. If the sheriff knew of said ideas before he busted Stiles red-handed- because he _always_ ends up busting Stiles-, the sheriff would probably handcuff Stiles to his headboard until he was eighteen and out of the house. So, the look Stiles gave Scott was one of disbelief.

"Well I can't exactly ask my dad, Scott! Now, let's get going!"

"Stiles-"

"Live a little! Gosh, don't kill my roll again!" with that, Stiles spun around on his heel and went towards the door.

Once Stiles started leaving, Scott knew he had no choice but to scramble out of his bed to follow his idiot of a best friend. _Lord knows what Stiles would do without me there to stop him from doing anything too extreme_ , Scott thought, frowning. He felt like this was going to be the worst idea Stiles had come up with in the past decade they'd been friends; he shook it off as they started into the woods.

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"Are you sure he's a murderer?" Scott scratched the back of his ear, staring down at the spiraling symbol in the dirt. Stiles was still holding the rope with Scott safely to the sidelines, wincing whenever he got too close to the wolfsbane.

"There's half a dead body in this grave, Scotty," Stiles pointed out, studying the wolfsbane. "This stuff is fucking awesome, man."

Scott warily took another step back, "Just... just don't get too close..."

"I'm not that stupid. Look, we need to call my dad because for once I don't know what else to do."

Stiles looked back down at the grave, wincing at the dead werewolf that lays in the not-so-deep hole of a grave with her eyes still wide open. He took a step back because something just didn't feel right in his stomach, threw his insides around and made his head throb. He convinced himself that it had nothing to do with the werewolf because he had never seen one before in his life, and he definitely would've known it if one of his friends was a werewolf. There wasn't a gravestone or anything other than the spiral of wolfsbane that marked the place. If it wasn't for the spiral and Scott's insane new sense of smell, they probably would've never thought to dig it up.

"But Derek Hale... really?" Scott asked, also back to staring at the dead werewolf.

Something in Stiles' brain went off at the name, but he pushed that away. It probably had something to do with his life before his mother's death. After his mother's death, he blocked out everything that happened before that time because it was too painful. He didn't want to remember how kind his mother was at some point, how sober his father was, or how pathetic his social life must've been until he met Scott.

Instead of over-thinking anything, Stiles scoffed, "Come on, Scott. Let's just call my dad and get this guy in jail and then we can leave. Promise."

"The last time I went with your plan, I was bitten by a wolf," Scott pointed out.

"Be quiet and help me dig you big lug."

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"Stiles! Please, let me out! Take off these handcuffs! Come on, Stiles! I'm your best friend! You've gotta let me out! Ahhh!"

The cries of pain were the worst. The cries made Stiles' head throb, made his heart ache, and he just really wanted to give in and finally just let him go.

"You know I can't do that, Scotty! You've got to get through this first, man," Stiles choked out.

"But Stiles! It  _hurts_! Let me  _go_!"

Stiles buried his face in his hands, tears leaking from his eyes at the cries of his best friend. He knew what he was doing was best. He knew that he had to keep Scott locked up until the full moon passed.

" _Stiles_!" Scott literally roared, turning despite the fact that he'd been trying to fight it off for hours already. Stiles was tempted to steal Scott's phone and dial Derek, but Scott's cell was in the bedroom, hidden under dozens of papers that had been thrown across the ground when Stiles was putting Scott in handcuffs. He really didn't want to deal with Scott lunging at him just because he needs to get to a phone.

"And that's why I can't let you out," Stiles rubbed a hand down his face, clenching his baseball bat tighter.

The handcuffs fought to keep Scott locked up, rattling against the radiator he was connected to and straining to keep the werewolf under even the least bit of control. Stiles rested his head on his drawn-up knees and clutched his bat even tighter if that was possible. He knew he'd be stuck there for a while but it was partly his fault Scott got bitten in the first place so he stayed. He stayed to help his best friend through this although he couldn't do much more but keep him contained; Stiles knew that Scott would beat himself up if he ever hurt an innocent- especially when he had no control over his actions. And, until Stiles can dig up more information about this whole werewolf thing, Scott needed to be kept locked up and under supervision.

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"What?" Derek stepped out from behind a group of trees, arms crossed and jacket straining over his muscled arms. Stiles swallowed nervously and took a step backwards, getting as far away from the werewolf as he dared and keeping his eyes on the elder man. It wasn't that Derek scared him really, but Stiles didn't trust werewolves; they still weren't sure on whether it was Derek that bit Scott or not.

Stiles wasn't taking any chances.

"I wanted to talk to you about Scott," Stiles explained, his cheeks heating up for a reason that Stiles wouldn't be able to explain.

The smirk on Derek's face was both infuriating and extremely hot. Not that Stiles would admit it out loud.

"What'd he do this time?" Derek asked sarcastically. "Did he try to kill somebody again?"

"No, there was no attempted-murder involved. Trust me, he'd be in a hole in the ground at this point with the Argent's running loose." Stiles ran a hand over his hair, the short strands tickling his palm. "Look, this whole thing is screwing up his life and I can't do anything about it. But you, you can do something about it and I think you should. I think you should force him to learn the ways of a beta or omega or whatever he is. Now what I think you sh- why are you looking at me like that?"

For the past few minutes, Derek had been studying him. Had raked his eyes down Stiles' body, taking in his bony hips and protruding, awkward shoulders with his long, flailing arms and giraffe legs that were more endearing than unattractive. Had taken in each angle of his face, the pale complexion he made work, the moles that randomly dotted his body. And, Derek couldn't help but wonder if that mole remained on Stiles' lower back, right in the left dimple of his spine.

His eyes lingered on Stiles' bare neck, on his collarbones that peeked out from under the loose StarWars shirt Stiles wore. And his chest ached a little because  _no_ the necklace was no longer hanging from Stiles' neck, was no longer proud and true against his chest where his heart continued to beat and he continued to live nicely.

"Like what?" Derek asked, only half-interested and not embarrassed in the least at being caught.

Stiles, however, was left with a heated face and fingers that twisted together over and over again. "...Never mind."

Derek shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, "So what was it you wanted?"

➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳

"I can't believe you skipped school to be with Allison. Scott, what the hell were you thinking?!" was the very first thing Stiles yelled when Scott pushed open his window, sliding in and landing easily on his feet. A month ago he would've stumbled and face-planted Stiles' carpet.

Scott took a step back, startled, but his eyes flashed golden- he was angry. "I was thinking that Allison and I deserved a day to ourselves!"

Stiles slammed his laptop shut, spinning around to glare at his best friend, "Kate is still here, Scott. Derek keeps contacting you even though you're ignoring him and not to mention your girlfriend is the niece of the same woman that's trying to kill every werewolf in this town! You skipping school and not telling anyone had me worried, had Kate suspicious- or more than she already is- and Derek pissed off!"

"Well I'm sorry that I needed a break! I know it's dangerous because I'm a werewolf, but-" he was cut off.

"There is no 'but'!" Stiles flailed his arms about, almost hitting Scott in the process. "Just- We need to figure this out  _before_ you start disappearing more and more." Stiles calmed himself, tugging at his hair and biting on his bottom lip with his eyes landing on the carpet. "Jesus you finally get a girl and all you do is play with her hair and eat dinner with her parents."

Scott glared at him indignantly, "That is  _not_ all we do."

"Oh right. I forgot about the literal studying you do. Not the studying horny teenage boys that we're supposed to be but actual nerdy guys that won't be getting any." Once again, Scott glared at Stiles but he honestly just looked like a puppy that got his favorite squeaky toy taken away.

"Not to mention Allison's dad..."

Stiles slammed his forehead down on his desk, groaning. "Now what?"

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Derek was there this time, flames sparkling in his dark eyes. Stiles found himself staring at the side of Derek's face, which was not only creepy but also extremely uncomfortable for Derek. The elder mans' eyes flickered to the side, giving Stiles a look that clearly asked him what he was looking at. Stiles quickly looked back at where Peter was bursting into flames. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He didn't know why he kept thinking about Derek like he had known him for years. It dawned on Stiles that maybe he  _did_ know him, just before his mother's death. Brushing the thoughts off his shoulders, Stiles focused on Peter's scream as the flames ended him; Scott was off to the other side, a little bit of guilt in his eyes.

At least that's over, Stiles thought bitterly.

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It was pack night.

There was popcorn in the microwave, a movie on the screen, blankets all over the floor, and Derek's bed totally off-limits. But there was no Stiles. There hadn't been a Stiles at pack night since he started training with Deaton to become and emissary. It was different. There wasn't an awkward giraffe-like boy in the loft to smack Isaac's hands away from the bowl of popcorn, there wasn't anyone in the kitchen rummaging around for a vanilla coke and then giving Derek hell when he couldn't find one, and no one was there to throw himself on the couch and loudly groan when Allison and Lydia put the Titanic on for the  _millionth time_ (they always claim that movies needed to be the one normal thing in their lives that could remain the same).

Derek guffawed mentally when he found the sweatshirt Stiles had (for the millionth time) accidentally left at his loft. It was thrown onto his bed, sitting in the middle, and Derek picked it up, telling himself he would return it later.

And he did.

Later that night- after his pack was passed out in various positions all over his loft floor- Derek went to the Stilinski house and climbed onto the roof, making his way across the ledge to Stiles' window. He didn't know if Stiles would be home yet or not. Deaton was very serious about this emissary business and if he wanted Stiles to stay extra time, then Stiles would have to stay. So Derek was mildly surprised when he found Stiles, passed out in a restless sleep and thrown across his bed. He remained in his day clothes and shoes, the blankets over everything except him.

Instead of knocking, Derek broke his way in by picking the lock on the window. Luckily, Stiles hadn't remembered to put the mountain ash barrier back together on his windowsill. Derek easily slipped inside, gently and mutely hitting the floor. Stiles shifted but that was all.

It was like Derek remembered it. The walls were dark now, but the desk was still against that wall and his bed was still opposite the desk and his posters were replaced, but in the same areas of the old StarWars, Batman, and Spiderman posters. A box of comic books were in a corner- a wolf stuffed animal Derek gave Stiles when Stiles turned six sat on the very top of the box.

Then there was the crack between Stiles' bed and the wall where a glint of light made Derek turn his attention to the spot. Careful as to not wake the sleeping teenager, Derek used Stiles' bat to nudge the glinting item out from the crack, and there was the necklace. The little wolf charm caught the light and Derek found his chest aching; he dropped the sweatshirt and the necklace and left without bothering to put them anywhere else but the floor where Stiles would no doubt find them.

And Derek secretly hoped Stiles would start wearing the necklace again.

➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳✥➳

 

_****✷✷✷✷    2 Years Later _ ** **✷✷✷✷****_****_

"What  _are_ you doing here?"

Stiles nearly jumps out of his skin, spinning around from where he was staring out the window, wondering why nothing was happening lately. Beacon Hills had been too quiet for the normal. As in, there were no territory breaches- Stiles would know thanks to the barriers that Deaton help him set up to alert the pack when a werewolf was entering-, no outrageous fights with new creatures, and no one had died for a three week streak. Well, now Stiles knew why. The answer had literally just showed up at his- well not technically  _his_ but still- door.

"Derek?" his eyes widened considerably.

"Who else?" Derek raises an eyebrow, steps farther inside and shuts the loft door behind him. It closes with a bang; Stiles winces a little.

"I don't know.  _Anyone_ else, maybe. You know, since you've been gone for the past eleven months. You missed out on the fun with the witches, though. Such a shame."

Derek snorts, dropping his suitcases on the floor. Something shatters, but Derek pays no mind to it. "Yeah, a shame. But what're  _you_ doing here?"

"I come here whenever I need to get away from everyone else," Stiles admits. "The others stopped coming back here four months ago because they thought it was just too painful. Their alpha did ditch them, after all though, so I could tell that it was for good reason. With everyone else avoiding this place, this is also the last place anyone is going to come looking for me." Derek nodded, looking around his loft as if he had missed it. Stiles knew he didn't. If he missed anything from Beacon Hills, he wouldn't have stayed away for so long; Stiles bit his lip and said, "There's a full kitchen stocked... if your hungry. I've basically moved in since I'm here so much."

Stiles stared down at his feet, images flashing in his head. Scott yelling. Allison packing a suitcase. Lydia pushing him aside in the hallway at school. Danny and Ethan leaning against the lockers in the hallway, not looking back at him. Peter walking into the woods, disappearing. Cora crying. Jackson punching Aiden. Aiden shoving Lydia aside to attack Jackson. Isaac cringing away. Erica glaring. Boyd rolling his eyes, huffing and walking away. So much had happened that pushed the pack apart. Stiles hadn't spoken to Scott ever since he had attacked him during a full moon; Stiles had to stab morphine in his bicep before Scott could kill him. That was three weeks ago.

The last image of Derek. The last time Stiles saw Derek, watching the omega pack his things with Cora close by his side. Stiles remembered asking Derek where he was going, but the omega simply said that Stiles didn't need to know. He remembered being gently pushed to the side as he hugged his stomach and watched Derek leave, blue eyes flashing back at Stiles briefly before he disappeared out the door. Cora hadn't said anything, simply gave Stiles this look as if she was waiting for him to do something; when he didn't do anything but close his eyes to calm himself, Cora left and slammed the door shut behind her.

Stiles didn't know why Derek left, and Derek knew all too well why he left. He needed to get away. Away from the memories and the pain it caused him to see Stiles so completely innocent and oblivious. He just needed a break for a while, but he couldn't exactly let Stiles know that. No. If Stiles wanted to remember their past together, then Stiles would remember; Derek doesn't have any right to force it on him. Derek was worried he eventually would force Stiles to remember something that he obviously blocked out for a reason.

Cora had returned two months after they left and she arrived at Stiles' home first, pushing past the Sheriff to run to Stiles' room. The young emissary-in-training had been at his desk when the omega burst in, already talking about how Derek had disappeared from their motel in the middle of the night while she was sleeping. It wasn't like they could do anything about it, but Cora joined Scott's pack just because of her desperate need for a pack.

It didn't take long for the pack to fall through after that.

"How come?" Derek moved towards the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator and grabbing the closest can of whatever to drink.

Derek raised his eyebrows because  _damn_ that's a lot of caffeeine for an already hyper Stiles. He didn't comment on it, but his mind forced the image of a young Stiles in his old bedroom, reading through comic books and giggling occasionally even if nothing was funny. Shaking his head, Derek took the drink out and then slammed the refrigerator door shut; Stiles flinched but moved closer.

"It's hard," Stiles admits, sitting down at the island counter, "Being the only human in a pack of werewolves, I mean. Worse than it used to be, at least."

"You aren't the only human, though. Allison-"

Stiles cut him off, voice sad and eyes directed at the tiles of the island counter-top where his finger traced the old cracks in the stained tiles. "Went back to Paris three months ago. She said there was nothing here for her anymore, and she needed a break from everything. We tried to get her to stay but she said that we had no direction, no plan, no alpha, and that means there's no reason for her to stay."

"Lydia-"

"Is a banshee. No longer technically a human and Danny responded well to the bite. He and Ethan are extremely happy together currently. Well, as far as I know. I haven't spoken to either in a week or so."

Derek stared at him, "Wait, who bit Danny?"

Stiles grinned humorously, "Man you missed a lot. A pack was coming through and Danny got spotted with Ethan while they were out on some date thing. Later on, the pack kidnapped Danny and we didn't track the pack down fast enough. We tried everything but Scott's senses weren't good enough to get a trail. True alpha or not, Scott couldn't focus hard enough. Besides, as soon as Scott killed a beta in that same pack, it all went away. He's kind of depressed, but the pack took it the hardest. Now none of them have an alpha to follow. Not even technically a pack without an alpha." His hands were in the air, flailing about aimlessly as he talked.

"Slow down," Derek said, "You talk too fast. And you're going to hurt yourself if you keep it up."

Stiles scanned Derek slowly for the first time in eleven months. His stubble was shorter and barely there, his hair was the same as it had always been but it was longer and had less product in it, and his muscles made Stiles pause. The black t-shirt wasn't exactly tight, but it definitely wasn't loose and modest. Clearly defined abs were noticeable and Stiles had to rip his eyes away from the sight, scanning the muddy jeans Derek wore and the leather jacket he still hadn't removed. He looked good, Stiles noted, and he looked just like he did before he left.

"You're an alpha again, aren't you?" Stiles asked eventually in the calm silence of the loft that used to buzz with energy.

Derek looked back at him, slightly surprised, "What? How did you-?"

"I don't know..." Stiles shook his head, looking away, "Deaton said I'm showing weird traits that other emissaries haven't showed before. Guess this is one of 'em. Do you know how weird being an emissary is? I can, like, figure things out now and Deaton's teaching me how to _control the energy_ or whatever around objects so it's like telekinesis."

When Derek didn't say anything for a few minutes- just staring down at his drink and thinking about something Stiles didn't dare ask about- the younger male spoke again. "I can leave. If you want. I know I'm probably not the first person you want to see when you've just gotten back to the land of we're-all-gonna-die-so-you-might-wanna-get-your-grave-ready-now."

Derek harrumphed- like a wolf dammit. "No." Derek stripped off his leather jacket, tossing it onto the back of a chair sitting under the kitchen counter. He frowned and looked around his loft. "Where's my bed?"

Stiles looked a little guilty, but not much. "Moved it upstairs. Peter moved out so I figured that we could use more space for pack meetings... then there weren't any pack meetings so," he shrugged in the what-are-you-gonna-do fashion.

"You're a pack still, aren't you?"

"I honestly don't know anymore." Stiles bit his bottom lip, a tense silence falling over them before he let out a breath and said, "Look, I should go. I have some stuff I need to take care of and you need to get settled in again, so," he was already halfway towards the door when Derek suddenly stepped in front of him.

Something flashed before Stiles' eyes- an image. An image of hesitant green eyes that bore into his own as a face got closer and then the image was gone and Stiles was back to looking at the chest of his old alpha. He didn't over-think it too much, passed it off as something that was insignificant because it must've been if Stiles was just now thinking about it. When he looked up at Derek, he noticed the tense of his jaw that told him Derek was thinking over something, was having a battle with himself. It was a look that occurred a lot more than it should've on a face like that.

Finally, Derek said, "Why don't you stay and do it here instead? I'll order a pizza."

Stiles felt himself smiling- and it was the first genuine smile in a long time. "Alright, sourwolf. Let me go get my bag from my jeep."


End file.
